X Trilogy:
Collector’s Edition Box Set review by Bobby Blakey
Ti West has had some interesting flicks in his career including House of the Devil, The Innkeepers and Sacrament to name a few. In 2022 he returned to the horror genre with the film X that kind of came out of nowhere and blew up. The film spawned a trilogy with the prequel Pearl also in 2022 and X sequel Maxxxine in 2024 all starring Mia Goth. The series all have different tones and ideals on display and create its own little corner of the horror genre while some of it not being horror at all. Now the entire series is coming home in a brand new X Trilogy: Collector’s Edition set on both Blu-ray and 4K.
X follows a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives in 1979.
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Right out the gate you get vintage horror vibes of films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but make no mistake this film does its own thing. The time period and adult film theme sets the perfect tone to dive into all the proper horror tropes and yet it still manages to have a fresh feel. The direction it goes while sometimes predictable is gross and fun all around.
The film offers up plenty of gore to keep the blood thirsty horror fans happy and a story with some fun clues sprinkled throughout leading to the blood-soaked finale. I love this flick in all its dirty, bloody, sex filled cliché that finds its own voice and a direction in both this final and the next films that are unexpected.
Pearl follows Pearl who must tend to her ailing father under the bitter and overbearing watch of her devout mother while trapped on her family’s isolated farm. Lusting for a glamorous life like she’s seen in the movies, Pearl’s ambitions, temptations, and repressions all collide, in the stunning, technicolor-inspired origin story of X’s iconic villain.
For those that missed it Mia Goth was not only the lead, Maxine in X, but also played the part of the old woman Pearl, but completely unrecognizable. In this prequel, that connects that character to her in X this film is completely different animal in the best way possible. The idea is really the same, but told in a fresh way that makes you feel like you are on a new journey which you are in every way. West has crafted a film that really stands out once again in a way that might hit different
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with everyone. There are kills and blood here, but it doesn’t lean into the slasher genre like X and instead takes on a character study of this girls journey an mental unraveling and Goth is outstanding here.
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Everyone is great, but this is Goth’s show all around and she kills it in every way. She flows through numerous emotions throughout the film as a character you really sympathize with, but also know there is something more sinister there waiting to emerge. The biggest and most impressive moment isn’t a kill, but a monologue from Goth that reveals everything you need to know about Pearl, her past, future and everything in between. She acts the shit out of that sequence and is mesmerizing. The whole scene is just a close up on her face and you will not be able to look away.
It is a bit slow paced at times by design I believe to really make the audience feel the isolation Pearl feels on this farm and in her life. When she journeys out, we are all excited to get some refreshing new visuals and characters, but also eager to return to see what madness is sure to come. There are so many great visual elements in costumes, camera work and moments that play up like a homage to the original but could also play up the opposite direction depending on the order you watch them.
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Maxxxine follows adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx who finally gets her big break in 1980s Hollywood. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.
I loved the first two films for so many reasons with a big part being that each film is so different in its storytelling while still being connected. This film follows suit with it closer in style to X, but still a vibe all its own. The decision to infuse the story into the real-life situation of the Night Stalker serial killer was a brave choice.
The film works once again thanks to the brilliance of Mia Gotha and her portrayal of Maxine. While more on track to be a star than when we first met her, there is still some of that innocence there that is only masked by the hardened exterior from the previous events she had to endure. They fully keep her PTSD style elements intact but instead of just making her a victim, it strengthens her to be something more. The direction of the film was a bit different than I envisioned in a great way. I love the familiar and unexpected direction it went that blurs the lines of real life and the fictional story they are telling to create something that comes full circle in some ways from where it all started.
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Every entry has had its own voice and might not work for everyone, but for me they have all delivered. This isn’t the strongest entry in the franchise, for me it is Pearl, but it still brings everything I love about it and Mia Goth shines once again to remind us why we love this series.
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This new 3-Disc Collector’s Edition Box Set of Ti West’s X Trilogy: X, Pearl, and MaXXXine includes a 64-page booklet with a new essay by Jon Dieringer, unreleased concept art, costume sketches, behind-the-scenes photography, original poster and VHS artwork created as set dressing for the films, and more, alongside over 90 minutes of making-of featurettes and new commentary tracks on all three films. Packaging features a blood-red printed plastic sleeve around a rigid slipcase containing a custom photo-collage 3-disc digibook.
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Grab your copy of the X Trilogy: Collector’s Edition Box set on both Blu-ray and 4K, that marks the first physical release of X and Pearl on 4K UHD in the US, available now from A24.